defection

Definition of defectionnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defection If James’ defection seems destined to peel casual NBA viewers away from the Lake Show, the subsequent heightened interest for the teams repping the I-95 megalopolis should go a long way toward helping shore up the league’s national deliveries. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 July 2026 South Korea took a soldier from the North into custody after the individual crossed the heavily fortified border this week in what is believed to be a defection, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday. CBS News, 24 June 2026 But there have also been a number of high-profile defections and sporting tensions, such as Iran’s only female Olympic medallist, Kimia Alizadeh, leaving the country in 2020. Tamara Davison, Wired News, 17 June 2026 In replacing Bowman as GM during the 1986-87 season, Meehan oversaw numerous franchise-changing moves, including Mogilny’s defection from the Soviet Union in 1989. ABC News, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for defection
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defection
Noun
  • Many members of today’s professional class are apostates, and this apostasy is worth taking seriously as a sign of an economic order that cannot seem to justify itself to its own public-relations arm.
    Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026
  • When every disagreement with Israeli government policy became, in your telling, the first step toward apostasy?
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 July 2026
Noun
  • This is a melodrama of malicious secrets and manipulative lies that may lead to divorce, desertion and even death.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The core of the story is the desertion and betrayal of Roseanna McCoy by all concerned.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The book follows this story for the critical eight years between 1527 and 1535, which led to the enduring schism that created the Church of England.
    David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
  • But schisms and heel digging are probably inevitable in such uncertain fields, Catling says.
    Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Most looming is her mother’s abandonment, wrapped up in righteous revolution.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Generally, these remain active and don’t see complete abandonment.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • When the nucleus ultimately disintegrates, these pieces move apart rapidly and the neck snaps quickly, a process known as scission.
    Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2021
  • The structure is easily broken down in a reaction called scission (like scissors), which tears up the polymer chain.
    Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Aug. 2020
Noun
  • Zvyagintsev’s story, like Chabrol’s, imagines the tragic fallout of a husband discovering his wife’s infidelity.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • His relationship with his wife (Anna Faris) and kids is disintegrating and a National Enquirer journo keeps threatening to run an exposé of his infidelities.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Lich, who was tried and convicted in connection with the protests and is still under house arrest, has shifted her energies to Alberta separatism.
    Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Pakistan must manage its sizeable Shiite population and its sensitive relationship with Tehran, while Turkey and Iran share concerns over Kurdish separatism despite competing elsewhere in the region.
    Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • He’s best known as the creator and star of the show Adam Ruins Everything — debunking cultural myths and other prevalent misconceptions — which ran for three seasons on TruTV.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Growth Without Compromise There’s a misconception that wholesale growth always comes at the expense of brand control.
    Advertorial, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Defection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defection. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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